Saturday December 18, 2010Day 16FinishedEstadio Cornellá-El Prat

Leaders Barcelona scored five goals away at their city rivals Espanyol for the first time as they made light of a potentially tricky derby. More

Live Commentary

Time:90'

RCD Espanyol

FC Barcelona

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90+3'FULL TIME! What a match. Where do you start? Espanyol were unbeaten after seven matches at home this season, and played pretty well against Barcelona. However, when the defending champions are playing like this, there doesn't seem to be a team on earth capable of keeping them from scoring.

90+2'David Villa fires a ball across to Alves on the edge of the area, who clips a lovely ball over the defence to BOJAN! His shot is tipped into the air by Kameni, who then scrambles backwards and palms the ball over his own bar

90+1'Not for long though, and Barca counter. Bojan fires a low shot from range in the channel, and Kameni holds it comfortably

90'We'll have two minutes of stoppages - Espanyol have the ball inside Barca's half

89'Barcelona on the ball, and the clock is ticking ever closer to full-time

88'Final Barca sub: Pedro off, Bojan on

87'Abidal never looks to have the ball under control as he breaks clear on the left wing, and he promptly cuts back rather than cross to Barca's advancing forward line

86'Barcelona sub: Iniesta off, Seydou Keita on

84'GOAL! VILLA MAKES IT FIVE! This is just stunning. Espanyol have been entirely credible tonight, and it's been a competitive football match, but Espanyol find themselves 5-1 down at home. Xavi plays a low ball through the defence, and Villa is onto it like a flash. The striker slots the ball under Kameni again, and the keeper's brief touch doesn't do enough to stop the ball going into the back of the net

83'Villa is, once again, caught offside trying to spring the trap and latch onto Messi's low ball through the defence

82'Espanyol make a final sub: Didac off, David Garcia on

81'End to end stuff this. Abidal's final ball in towards Villa is too long and collected by Kameni, and Pique is then forced to shepherd the keeper's long delivery out for a goal kick at the other end

80'Puyol completely misses a clearance on the edge of the area, but makes amends with a crunching slide-challenge on the byline

79'Barcelona sub: Busquets off, Javier Mascherano on

77'Messi jinks through another challenge 20 yards out, but his final ball is well blocked by the unflagging Espanyol defence. They're certainly giving this their all, but there's surely no way back for the hosts now

76'GOAL! 4-1 BARCA! Typical Barcelona. They absorb 5-10 minutes of near-constant pressure from Espanyol, but Messi and Villa combine to nick a fourth for the visitors against the run of play. Messi dinks a perfectly-weighted ball through the Espanyol back four for Villa to chase, and the striker knocks the ball past the onrushing Kameni with ease

75'Pique is in an advanced position on the right (?!) and finds himself one on one with Kameni! The keeper advances, and Pique fires the ball over the bar!

74'There's always the danger of a break with these players though, and - once again - the ball is moved swiftly to the edge of the Espanyol penalty area. Pedro finds Messi, who plays left to Iniesta whose first touch lets him down. He backheels Abidal clear on the left, but the fullback's cross is deflected out for a corner

73'Osvaldo tries to buffet his way through the middle, and Barca are under constant pressure from the hosts at the moment!

72'Xavi is caught in possession inside Barcelona's half! The ball bounces fortuitously to Osvaldo, who tries to curl the ball inside the right post and draws another fine stop from Valdes!

71'Callejon chases down another diagonal ball to the left wing, and takes a touch inside. He dinks a lovely ball to the far post and OSVALDO! Headed over the bar!

70'Dani Alves lingers on the ball on the right wing, and is muscled off the ball by Callejon. He shoves Callejon and the pair go down. Yellow card for the Barcelona full-back, and a particularly cheap way for the Brazilian to go into the book, really.

69'Brilliant feet again from Osvaldo on the left wing, turning inside and out before slipping a low ball through to Javi Marquez, who is offside

68'The free kick in is deflected, and scooped clear

67'Barca counter, and Pedro shows that electric pace on the left wing, leaving Victor Ruiz for dead! Or not! The Espanyol man hauls him back on the edge of the box, and gets a yellow card

66'Callejon pulls Pique out wide right with a fine run, and picks out a cross... Easily cut out

65'First Messi is felled in the centre, and then Busquets soon after him. Getting scrappier now

64'Espanyol sub: Chica off, Jordi Amat on

64'So there ends Barcelona's run without conceding in the league. They went 31 goals without response, but Espanyol will be more confident of sneaking a couple more now!

63'GOAL! ESPANYOL GET ONE BACK! That's a real cracker from Osvaldo! The Italian just breaks the offside trap, and shows a stunning turn of pace to clear Puyol before slotting the ball expertly beneath Victor Valdez!

62'Pedro sprints away on the right wing, and draws a fine save from Kameni from close range! Almost a hat-trick for the young Spaniard!

62'Espanyol substitution: Luis Garcia off, Jesus Datolo on

61'GOAL! 3-0 BARCELONA! The visitors really make Chica pay for that slip-up. Messi plays a one-two on the edge of the area with Pedro, before firing a low drive to Kameni's left post. The keeper makes a fine one-handed save, but Pedro is onto the rebound like a flash and drives the ball into the back of the net

60'Victor Ruiz plays a lovely ball to the centre from the left wing. Ruiz plays right to Chica, who daudles on the ball and gives possession all too cheaply back to Barca

59'Dinked invitingly into the path of Marquez, but Pedro gets there first and clears

58'Pedro brings down Javi Marquez 25 yards from goal, and this is a shooting opportunity for the hosts!

57'Espanyol are continuing to work incredibly hard here, but Barcelona get the ball so quickly from defence to attack that the hosts are struggling to contain them

56'The ball comes back to Messi on the edge of the area. He draws a man across and slips the ball wide to Alves! Who is offside!

56'Barca counter with pace and numbers, but Messi opts for possession and plays backwards to Xavi, who then finds Busquets

55'Javi Marquez with the free kick, 30 yards out... slammed into the wall and clear

54'Osvaldo is furious as Pique controls a high ball under pressure from the Italian, and the referee blows for a free kick. The replay shows the big centre-bacl used his arm to control the ball, and he goes into the book.

53'Verdu delays his pass to Osvaldo to keep the Italian onside, and Osvaldo wins a throw on the left wing

52'Iniesta gets the ball 20 yards out, dead-centre, and TRIES A CURLER! SAVED BY KAMENI! Stunning shot from the Ballon D'Or nominee, but Kameni produced a fabulous one-handed, diving save to claw the ball clear of his left post

51'Pedro turns on the after-burners and hares through the defence some 40 yards out! He slips the ball diagonally between the goalkeeper and the centre-back to the advancing Messi, but the ball is just cut out! Should he have shot? Probably

50'Osvaldo comes up to receive the throw, but he's well marshalled by Abidal who nicks the ball away. Barca counter

49'Chica attacks the right wing, and earns a throw deep in Barcelona territory

48'David Villa tries a speculative curler from 20 yards, but it's well wide

47'A rare mis-placed pass by Messi gives Espanyol the chance to break early on, but they're already sitting a lot deeper at the start of this second half, and there's no options to pass to

46'We're back underway in Catalunya!

45+3'HALF-TIME! That's it for the first half, and what a 45 minutes it's been! Barca score their 29th and 30th unanswered goals in the league, but Espanyol have created enough chances of their own to give Pep Guardiola something to think about at half time! Those two goals could prove crucial, however, and Espanyol have got it all to do in the second half. Join us in a few minutes for part two of this absorbing encounter!

45+2'Stunning control from Villa to bring down a high ball in the box, and surely he'll score now?! NO! He pulls away from Chica magnificently, but Victor Ruiz comes out of nowhere to slide the ball clear! Brilliant defending right at the death of this half - keeping Espanyol's hopes of a comeback alive

45+1'Pique tries to carry the ball into the box from the right, but the ball runs loose to VILLA! Hammered over the bar on the turn!

45'Swung in low by Messi... and headed behind by Didac for another corner

44'I spoke too soon! The ball is hammered up the left wing for Villa to chase, and the forward does fantastically well to chase down the long ball and then win a free kick under pressure right by the corner flag

43'Barca back with the ball, and in no hurry to offload it!

42'Dani Alves combines with Messi on the right wing, but the Brazilian's first touch on the return ball is too heavy and Espanyol clear. Iniesta is getting almost no time on the ball at the moment, which must be part of Mauricio Pochettino's tactics today - Espanyol are all over the tricky little Spaniard!

41'Messi picks up the ball just inside the final third, and runs from right to left looking to pick a pass. Javi Marquez slides into the Argentine from behind, and is yellow-carded. That's both of Espanyol's central midfielders in the book

40'Sensational defending from the Liga champions, however, as Puyol and Abidal pass their way clear from six-yards away from their own goal!

39'Brilliant run from Osvaldo into the box, jinking past a coupld of challenges and slipping the ball right on the edge of the area! He doesn't continue his run, though, and the return ball is picked up by Puyol

38'Barca swamp forwards in numbers, but Villa is penalised as he climbs to reach a header

37'Osvaldo goes in two-footed and late on Busquets, and picks up a deserved yellow card. Nasty challenge

36'Tremendous save from the Barca shot-stopper, palming the ball away with a strong right hand!

35'Espanyol look to get nick one back before half-time, and Callejon has a chance here after another lovely ball over the top from Luis Garcia! Callejon takes one touch, and just has Valdez to beat. He SHOOTS! SAVED BY VALDEZ!

34'Villa loses the ball to a stupendous sliding challenge from the full-stretch Javi Marquez, and promptly draws a foul from the Barca striker

33'Abidal does get caught offside though, on the left wing - to loud, ironic cheers from the crowd

32'The hosts weren't happy with that goal, complaining instantly that Xavi was offside on the initial ball to Xavi from Messi. Looked good to me, from the replays...

31'GOAL! XAVI SMASHES THE BALL IN FROM THE REBOUND! That's a sensational finish, and one that spares Alves's blushes! Xavi takes the rebound early with the right boot, volleying the ball with pinpoint accuracy inside the far post. 2-0 Barca

30'Pedro, Villa, and Messi unlock the Espanyol defence with some perfect triangular passing, before Pedro lays off Messi on the edge of the area. The Aregentine lifts a cute little diagonal ball over the top to Xavi, whose right-foot shot is inadvertantly blocked by Dani Alves!

29'Villa lets rip from long-range, but his shot is deflected wide. Or not, the linesman appears to be suggesting! Goal kick! Not sure about that one...

28'Iniesta and Xavi link up the middle of the pitch, before playing to Messi who draws a late challenge from Javi Marquez

27'Villa thinks he's spring the offside trap after another fast ball low through the defence, but the linesman's flag goes up straight away

26'Busquets stretches into a sliding challenge in the middle, and lands it late. Yellow card for the Barcelona man - who complains vehemently - and that's probably thanks to the shear number of fouls he's committed in this opening half-hour

25'Barca counter at pace, but Messi's cross from the left wing sails over everybody

24'Luis Garcia on the ball again wide right, and he plays a cute low ball through to Osvaldo in the box! He takes a touch with his back to goal, but loses his footing and allows Puyol to clear!

23'That's a lovely ball from Luis Garcia, dinked over the defence with a cheeky reverse ball to the right wing, which Valdez sprints out to clear for a throw

22'Curled in right-footed by Luis Garcia! Valdez covers his near post well though, and the free kick just isn't fast enough to beat him

21'Espanyol back on the ball, with a free kick 25 yards out in the left channel

20'That's Pedro's 10th of the season, and there's howls of discontent around the stadium after that goal

19'GOAL! 1-0 BARCELONA! Barca counter as the Espanyol man stays down, and the ball is swiftly move forwards to Messi. The Argentine slips the ball through the defence for Pedro to chase, and the Spaniard takes a touch before slotting the ball expertly underneath the onrushing Kameni!

19'Callejon tries to push the ball beyond Puyol, but runs into the big centre-half and goes down in a heap

18'Puyol finds Villa with a superb diagonal ball, but the Spanish striker is squeezed off it after a deft touch to bring the ball under control

17'Not for long, as Villa links up with Xavi coming into the final third again for Barca. Xavi's shot from 20 yards takes a heavy deflection, and Kameni gathers easily

16'Taken quickly, but headed clear on the edge of the area. Busquets is penalised for a high foot under the clearance, and Espanyol have some breathing-space

15'Abidal advances along the left wing to reach Villa's back-heel through ball. The Frenchman fires a low cross in, whichi is deflected into the side-netting for a corner...

13'He's offside now, Osvaldo. Barca playing a very high line, but so are their city rivals!

12'Barca chasing hard, but Espanyol do look confident on the ball. Osvaldo is penalised for a charge on Puyol under a high, long ball

11'You'd've put your house on the diminuitive Argentine scoring then, with an open goal in front of him. Alves's slow pass seemed to take him by surprise, and Messi side-footed the ball two yards over the bar

10'Barca starting to look really menacing now! Dani Alves hares off along the right wing, breaking clear of the defence with just Kameni to beat! The Cameroonian keeper holds his ground, but Alves squares to MESSI! OVER THE BAR!

9'Lovely passing from the Espanyol defence, toying with the Barcelona forwards on the edge of their own area

8'Chica passes to defensive partner Forlin at the back for the hosts, before playing backwards to Kameni

7'He's one on one with Valdez... but the linesman's flag is up! Rightly so, the replays suggest

6'Javi Marquez and Jose Callejon exchange passes under close pressure on the left, before Verdu dinks a lovely little ball through towards Osvaldo...

5'Barca starting to get to grips with the game now, controlling possession in their own metronomic fashion

5'The ball is scooped into the air for VILLA TO HIT OVERHEAD! JUST WIDE!

4'Barca with a corner... taken low to the edge of the area

3'Espanyol couldn't ask for a better start to this match without scoring, enjoying the lions share of possession in the opening moments

2'Espanyol break up the right now with Osvaldo, who shoots from range on the edge of the penalty area! Comfortably saved by Valdez, who had the angle well-covered

1'They're up against a well organised defence though, and the ball goes all the way back to Kameni

1'We're off! Espanyol moving the ball quickly from the off, winning a throw on the left wing

19:00The teams are out, hands are being shaken, we're moments away from kick-off! The atmosphere is electric in the Estadi Cornella-El Prat - there's a real sense of expectation here despite the hosts taking on one of the most complete teams of a generation. Espanyol's Pablo Daniel Osvaldo called this match a "war" in the build-up - there's definitely not going to be any shirking of responsibilities tonight!

18:40All the signs point to this being a pretty special derby! Barcelona's goals for and against in the last six games is 26-0, and the Liga-leaders have won every single match away from home. Not that this is going to be a push-over for Pep Guardiola's men, no no no. Espanyol are unbeaten at home so far this season, and are in a rich vein of form. Who's going to crack this evening? We'll find out at 7pm UK time!

18:30Good afternoon and welcome to our live commentary of the Barcelona derby!

Summary

84'GOAL! VILLA MAKES IT FIVE! This is just stunning. Espanyol have been entirely credible tonight, and it's been a competitive football match, but Espanyol find themselves 5-1 down at home. Xavi plays a low ball through the defence, and Villa is onto it like a flash. The striker slots the ball under Kameni again, and the keeper's brief touch doesn't do enough to stop the ball going into the back of the net

76'GOAL! 4-1 BARCA! Typical Barcelona. They absorb 5-10 minutes of near-constant pressure from Espanyol, but Messi and Villa combine to nick a fourth for the visitors against the run of play. Messi dinks a perfectly-weighted ball through the Espanyol back four for Villa to chase, and the striker knocks the ball past the onrushing Kameni with ease

75'Pique is in an advanced position on the right (?!) and finds himself one on one with Kameni! The keeper advances, and Pique fires the ball over the bar!

72'Xavi is caught in possession inside Barcelona's half! The ball bounces fortuitously to Osvaldo, who tries to curl the ball inside the right post and draws another fine stop from Valdes!

71'Callejon chases down another diagonal ball to the left wing, and takes a touch inside. He dinks a lovely ball to the far post and OSVALDO! Headed over the bar!

63'GOAL! ESPANYOL GET ONE BACK! That's a real cracker from Osvaldo! The Italian just breaks the offside trap, and shows a stunning turn of pace to clear Puyol before slotting the ball expertly beneath Victor Valdez!

61'GOAL! 3-0 BARCELONA! The visitors really make Chica pay for that slip-up. Messi plays a one-two on the edge of the area with Pedro, before firing a low drive to Kameni's left post. The keeper makes a fine one-handed save, but Pedro is onto the rebound like a flash and drives the ball into the back of the net

52'Iniesta gets the ball 20 yards out, dead-centre, and TRIES A CURLER! SAVED BY KAMENI! Stunning shot from the Ballon D'Or nominee, but Kameni produced a fabulous one-handed, diving save to claw the ball clear of his left post

51'Pedro turns on the after-burners and hares through the defence some 40 yards out! He slips the ball diagonally between the goalkeeper and the centre-back to the advancing Messi, but the ball is just cut out! Should he have shot? Probably

45+2'Stunning control from Villa to bring down a high ball in the box, and surely he'll score now?! NO! He pulls away from Chica magnificently, but Victor Ruiz comes out of nowhere to slide the ball clear! Brilliant defending right at the death of this half - keeping Espanyol's hopes of a comeback alive

35'Espanyol look to get nick one back before half-time, and Callejon has a chance here after another lovely ball over the top from Luis Garcia! Callejon takes one touch, and just has Valdez to beat. He SHOOTS! SAVED BY VALDEZ!

31'GOAL! XAVI SMASHES THE BALL IN FROM THE REBOUND! That's a sensational finish, and one that spares Alves's blushes! Xavi takes the rebound early with the right boot, volleying the ball with pinpoint accuracy inside the far post. 2-0 Barca

30'Pedro, Villa, and Messi unlock the Espanyol defence with some perfect triangular passing, before Pedro lays off Messi on the edge of the area. The Aregentine lifts a cute little diagonal ball over the top to Xavi, whose right-foot shot is inadvertantly blocked by Dani Alves!

24'Luis Garcia on the ball again wide right, and he plays a cute low ball through to Osvaldo in the box! He takes a touch with his back to goal, but loses his footing and allows Puyol to clear!

19'GOAL! 1-0 BARCELONA! Barca counter as the Espanyol man stays down, and the ball is swiftly move forwards to Messi. The Argentine slips the ball through the defence for Pedro to chase, and the Spaniard takes a touch before slotting the ball expertly underneath the onrushing Kameni!

10'Barca starting to look really menacing now! Dani Alves hares off along the right wing, breaking clear of the defence with just Kameni to beat! The Cameroonian keeper holds his ground, but Alves squares to MESSI! OVER THE BAR!